To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: NCI Says Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Improves Cervical Cancer Survival URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/E6DDA.htm Doctor's Guide February 22, 1999
WASHINGTON, DC -- Feb. 22, 1999 -- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) today mailed a clinical announcement to thousands of physicians stating that strong consideration should be given to adding chemotherapy to radiation therapy in the treatment of invasive cervical cancer. The mailing alerts physicians who treat cancer to the findings of five different studies -- all large, randomised clinical trials -- showing that women in the studies benefited from the use of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given together. Up to now, surgery or radiation therapy alone has been considered the standard treatment for cervical cancer that has spread locally (within the cervix) or regionally (within the pelvis). "The findings of these five trials are remarkably consistent," said NCI director Richard Klausner, M.D. "They are likely to change the standard of care for invasive cervical cancer." Three of the studies cited in NCI's clinical announcement will appear in the New England Journal of Medicine. Because of their potential implications for public health, the articles about these studies were released today, in advance of their publication date. The remaining two studies will be published later in 1999. Several hundred women were enrolled in each of the five trials, which were carried out by NCI's Clinical Trials Cooperative Groups in centres around the country. Their cancers varied from disease confined to the cervix to disease that had spread from the cervix to other pelvic tissues. In three of the studies, women were randomly divided into groups that received either radiation alone or radiation plus concomitant chemotherapy. The chemotherapy agents used were cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, also known as 5-FU (two studies) and cisplatin alone (one study). In all three trials, the proportion of women alive after about three years of follow-up was higher in the groups receiving chemotherapy plus radiation than in those receiving only radiation therapy. In the two other studies, all patients received concomitant chemotherapy and radiation. However, the chemotherapy drugs differed between the arms. In one arm of each of these trials, the chemotherapy used was hydroxyurea while in the other arms, the chemotherapy included cisplatin. In both trials, the groups who received cisplatin had better survival rates. NCI's clinical announcement states that, although the best chemotherapy regimen for cervical cancer has not been determined, significant results were seen using cisplatin alone or cisplatin in combination with 5-FU and other agents. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.